Staff column: the choice could be made very early

Since it is an election year, signs for candidates are already going up around town. And while the general election is not until November, on June 24 Carbon County residents will have the opportunity to select one of the candidates who will be on that ballot for county commission in November.

Sometimes people forget how important primaries are, but if there is a real grass roots, general population appeal election, a primary is it.

In our case, there will be two candidates from the Democratic party (John Jones and Neil Breinholt) and the Democratic primary is an open one; one where anyone can vote in that election.

The winner will of that election will oppose Gerald Lloyd the Republican who will be running for the seat that is being vacated by Steve Burge in November.

Citizens should realize that this is the grass roots of elections. It is the closest we all get to having a true Republic, one where one person's vote counts as much as it ever will.

Now is the time for Carbon citizens to weigh what the candidates think, say and how they stand on issues important to this piece of Utah.

What are the issues? I personally think they vary greatly, depending on who you are. For some people land use and access to that land is important. To others water development is of paramount importance. We also are now getting a lot of money from mineral rights, and some think how that money will be spent is very important. So are infrastructure, organized development and county government organizations. The list can and actually should go on and on.

Over the next month there will be forums in which the public can question candidates for both commissioners seats.

As citizens it is our right to question what possible commissioners think, in fact it is a responsibility.

While powers from the outside affect our county, we are the ones that determine what kind of leadership we have to handle those pressures.